Best PhD in Criminal Justice Programs (2027)

Liberty's graduate catalog sets the PhD at 60 total hours. Program courses cover theories of crime, comparative criminal justice systems, advanced juvenile justice policy and advanced corrections policy; the research and evaluation core covers advanced research design, quantitative and qualitative methods of research and criminal justice program evaluation; advanced focus courses include Transnational Organized Crime and Criminal Justice Organizational Conflict; students choose nine credit hours of electives; and the degree closes with a research concept course and dissertation courses, with graduation requiring a successful defense of the dissertation. The Doctor of Criminal Justice's general track also totals 60 hours and lists the same program, research and evaluation core and advanced focus courses, followed by a research concept course and capstone courses, and graduation requires successful completion of a capstone project. The catalog lists the delivery format of both degrees as online only. Courses run in 8-week and full-semester sub-terms, and Liberty says some courses may be taken in intensive or alternative formats that can include scheduled meeting times, travel to campus or required login sessions.

Both doctorates require an earned master's degree from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; the catalog asks PhD applicants for a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above and DCJ applicants for an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above. Students may transfer up to 30 hours of graduate-level credit, and each degree must be completed within 7 years. Liberty describes the PhD as preparing law enforcement professionals for senior leadership roles in criminal justice organizations and graduate students for careers in criminal justice education, and the DCJ as equipping law enforcement professionals for senior leadership roles and helping them apply practical solutions to law enforcement challenges. The learning outcomes of both include integrating a Christian worldview into the analysis of crime and crime policy.

Track I, for students entering with a master's degree in criminal justice or a related field, requires 83 quarter credits and moves straight into contemporary theory and practice and national and global criminal justice issues, with coursework in leadership theory, homeland security and public management. Track II, for students whose master's degree is in another discipline, requires 98 quarter credits and starts by building a foundation in criminal justice theory and practice. Both tracks include research courses, four PhD residencies and a dissertation, and students choose a specialization in Behavioral Sciences, Criminal Justice Leadership, or Law and Justice Administration, or a Self-Designed option. Walden says coursework is 100% online with the exception of academic residencies, and its tuition table lists a virtual option for each residency.

The doctorate is for students who already hold a master's degree: Walden's catalog places those entering with a master's in criminal justice or a related field in Track 1 and those entering with a master's in an unrelated field in Track 2. Walden charges no application fee and asks for no essay, and students have up to eight years to complete the doctorate unless they petition for an extension. Walden's catalog says the program is not designed or intended to prepare graduates for licensure as a peace officer, police officer or other law enforcement officer in any state.

The doctorate requires 57 hours of 7000-level coursework. Required courses are Proseminar in Criminal Justice Issues, Criminological Theory, Administration of Justice, Advanced Statistics I and II, Research Design and a research practicum; students choose two seminars from American policing, American corrections, American courts and legal aspects of criminal justice, take five more 7000-level CRIJ courses, and finish with dissertation courses. Students must pass a doctoral qualifying examination in the form of a Research Assessment Portfolio and defend a dissertation of original research.

Applicants need a master's degree in criminal justice or an allied field, GRE scores or a writing sample, undergraduate and graduate transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a personal essay and a resume or vita. Applications for the fall semester are due January 15, and the program page lists the type of instruction as face to face at the Huntsville, Texas location.

The 60-credit program pairs 33 credits of required core courses, among them Criminological Theory, Administration of Justice, Teaching in the Criminal Justice Classroom, Policy and Program Evaluation, and Grantsmanship & Publishing in Criminal Justice, with a 15-credit concentration in Behavioral Science; Criminal Justice Policy, Practice, and Leadership; Crisis and Emergency Management; or Juvenile Justice and Human Services. A dissertation is required, with 12 credits of dissertation coursework. Coursework is conducted entirely online, and NSU says students typically complete the program in two and a half years.

Admission requires a master's degree from a regionally accredited institution and a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and applicants also complete an interview with program faculty. Applications are accepted for annual fall starts with a May 31 deadline, and NSU says it typically accepts 20 students per year. Students may take more than one specialty track if they complete all the courses in each.

The degree requires a minimum of 75 credit hours: 57 credit hours of coursework beyond the bachelor's degree, 3 credit hours of comprehensive exam and 15 credit hours of dissertation. The 30-credit core includes Criminological Theory, Comparative Crime and Criminal Justice Systems, Geospatial Crime Analysis, Criminal Justice Policy Analysis, Transnational Crime and National Security, research methods and data analysis courses and Teaching Methods & Strategies; students add 9 credits of research tools, 9 credits of international crime and justice electives such as Immigration and Crime, Human Trafficking and Comparative Policing, and 9 credits of general electives. The Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice offers the program onsite and fully online.

Applicants need a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, a GPA of 3.2 or higher in upper-division coursework or for all master's degree coursework, and a grade of B or better in a research methods course; students are admitted in the fall semester only. Up to 27 credits can transfer from a completed master's degree, and students admitted with a bachelor's degree may apply to be awarded the M.S. in Criminal Justice on the way to the Ph.D. The department sits in the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs.

The 54-credit program combines core courses such as Management Issues in Justice Agencies, Theory in Justice Administration, Ethics and Criminal Justice, and Strategic Planning and Implementation in Criminal Justice; a specialization in Homeland Security, Organizational Leadership, Policing or Public Administration; research methods courses including Quantitative Research Design and Methodology and Qualitative Research Design and Methodology; a Pre-Candidacy Prospectus; and four dissertation courses covering the proposal, data collection and analysis, manuscript development and the final oral defense. The program is designed to be completed within 41 months, students who move at an accelerated rate may finish in as few as 33 months, and the degree is offered 100% online with no residency requirement.

Admission to the doctorate requires a master's degree from an accredited institution, and students may transfer up to 12 eligible doctoral credits, while at least 45 credit hours must be completed through the university. The university charges no application fee and requires no GRE, GMAT or entrance exams, and it notes that program availability may vary by state.

The degree requires a minimum of 61 semester credit hours, 43 of them coursework and 18 dissertation hours. Required support courses cover professional development, advanced research methods and advanced statistical techniques; the required delinquency theory courses are The Juvenile Offender and Youth Gangs, Advanced Seminar in Crime and Delinquency Theory and Youth Victimization; and students add required substantive courses in juvenile justice and elective courses. Foundations of Juvenile Justice, Theories of Delinquency, Research Methods and Applied Statistical Methods and Computing are prerequisites for admission that do not count toward program hours. Comprehensive examinations are offered in the fall and spring semesters.

Applicants need a baccalaureate degree and a master's degree from regionally accredited institutions, official GRE scores, three signed letters of recommendation, an original 1000 word essay and a copy of a master's thesis or other lengthy paper. The university says the program produces scholars to teach in criminal justice and criminology departments and researchers for federal, state and large local agencies, and all degree requirements must be completed within nine consecutive years.

The program requires a minimum of 60 credits of coursework and two examinations, culminating in a dissertation in the student's area of interest. Training covers criminological theory, research methods and statistics, with electives in areas such as international and comparative criminal justice and sociology. The program is taught on campus, and its FAQ says all students register for a minimum of 7 credits per semester; courses for tuition-only students are scheduled in the late afternoon and early evening.

Admission is based on a completed bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00, and applicants with a master's degree should have a 3.50 GPA in their graduate work. The fully funded track does not require a master's degree, while the in-state tuition-only fellowships consider only applicants who have completed an MA, MS, JD or another advanced degree. Applications are due January 1 for fall enrollment, with no spring enrollment.

The degree requires 72 credits. Doctoral students take core, analytical methods and elective courses in person on the Fairfax, Virginia campus, write a major area paper for their qualifying exam, and complete a dissertation. The core courses are Criminological Theory, Law and Social Science, and Evidence-Based Crime Policy, and the methods sequence includes Research Methods, Statistics I and Statistics II. The department's applied research covers policing, courts and corrections, with emphases that include crime and place, wrongful convictions, victimology, and rehabilitation and recidivism.

The program accepts students with or without a previous graduate degree, and those who enter with a bachelor's degree earn the MA in criminology, law and society as part of the doctorate. Mason says full-time students with a relevant prior graduate degree typically finish in four years, while those who enter without one usually finish within six years; students may also attend part-time. All applicants who intend to study full-time are considered for funding, and the department offers multi-year assistantships on a competitive basis.

The 2026-2027 Graduate Catalog core includes Transformational Leadership, Critical Issues in Criminal Justice, International Perspectives in Criminal Justice, Qualitative Research Methods, Criminological Theories, Managing Human Resources in Criminal Justice, Quantitative Research Methods, Juvenile Justice, Societal Trends in Policing, Correctional Philosophy and Administration, Global Extremism and Mass Movements, Action Research, and Law, Policy and Social Order, plus 12 credit hours of directed research. Students choose a specialization in Education, Forensic Science, Homeland Security or Human Services, and the catalog notes that International Perspectives in Criminal Justice, Criminological Theories and Societal Trends in Policing are not required for students who choose Forensic Science or Human Services. The program page lists 60 credit hours and says the degree can be completed within three and a half years by attending fall, spring and summer terms; coursework is online, with three short residencies held on long weekends during the program.

Applicants submit a transcript showing a completed master's degree (or higher) from a regionally accredited university with a minimum graduate GPA of 3.00, a statement of professional goals and two letters of reference. The homeland security track runs as a cohort model, and Saint Leo says the curriculum prepares learners for careers in teaching, homeland security, human services and criminal justice.

UC's curriculum guide for the program, effective Fall 2026, sets a minimum of 90 credits for students entering after a bachelor's degree and 61 credits after a master's, with a duration of 4 years. Coursework is organized into five areas: theory and research in criminal justice, theory and research on the nature of crime, research methods and statistics, a concentration area, and professional development. Every student completes a teaching practicum and a research practicum, teaches at least one criminal justice course, and writes a dissertation presenting original criminal justice research.

Applicants need a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited institution, and UC says applicants without a graduate degree may be admitted at the doctoral level or referred to the master's program. The program admits only for a fall semester start, prefers a grade point average of 3.5, and asks for GRE scores, at least two letters of recommendation, a personal statement, a recent writing sample and a CV or resume. The program page lists funding as available.

Students complete a minimum of 36 semester credits of course work and 24 credits of dissertation research, for a minimum of 60 semester credits. The 18 credits of required core courses are Crime Causation, Prevention and Control; Proseminar in Criminal Justice; Seminar in Contemporary Criminal Justice Theory; Advanced Quantitative Methods in Criminal Justice Research; Advanced Research Methods; and Qualitative Methods. Students add 12 credits of electives approved by their guidance committee and 6 credits of doctoral-level research methods, write two qualifying papers that serve as the comprehensive exam, and defend a dissertation, with all requirements completed within 8 years of first enrollment as a doctoral student.

Formal admission does not require a master's degree; students admitted directly from an undergraduate program take Design and Analysis of CJ Research and Quantitative Methods as prerequisites, which do not count toward the doctorate. Applications are screened for fall entry only with a December 15 deadline, and applicants need a GPA of at least 3.0, GRE scores, three letters of recommendation, a statement of goals, and a thesis or other evidence of research preparation.

The Graduate Bulletin requires 60 credits of coursework with a B (3.0) grade point average, including core courses in Theories of Crime, Theoretical Foundations of Criminal Justice and a Research/Analytical Writing Seminar, and students must pass or waive Statistical Techniques in CRJ II and Research Design in CRJ II. Students also meet a research tool requirement in a specialized area of research methodology, pass a comprehensive examination built around a research project suitable for publication in an academic journal and an oral presentation and defense, and present and defend a dissertation prospectus and dissertation.

Applications for fall are due December 31, and applicants submit transcripts from all schools attended, three letters of recommendation, official GRE scores, a statement of goals and a resume. All requirements must be completed within eight calendar years of initial registration. UAlbany points to its location in the capital of New York State for research and internships in government agencies that affect criminal justice.

The doctorate requires a minimum of 60 credits: 42 credits of coursework, made up of 7 required 3-credit courses and seven electives, plus 18 credits of dissertation research. The required courses are Foundations of Criminological Theory, Contemporary Criminological Theory, Criminal Justice Policy, Introductory Statistics, Intermediate Statistics and Research Methods, plus one of Advanced Statistics, Research Design for Causal Inference or Qualitative Research Methods. A full-time, one-year residency of 9 credits per semester is required in the first year, after which students may enroll part or full time, and all requirements should be completed within five years and must be completed within seven.

The minimum academic requirement for admission is a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, and the school ordinarily expects a grade point average of 3.5 or better with strong performance in theory, policy, methods and statistics. Applications are due December 1 for fall admission. The school's handbook says incoming doctoral students are classified as teaching or graduate assistants for five years, contingent on satisfactory progress in the program.

Year one covers theories of criminal justice process, two semesters of criminological theory, two semesters of statistics and a semester of advanced research methods, followed by a foundations qualifying examination. In years two and three students move into a specific area of research, completing an area exam and a publishable paper, then defend a dissertation proposal and, finally, the dissertation itself. Students entering with a bachelor's degree complete 54 total semester hours, including 28 semester hours of electives, and required courses include Practicum in Writing and Publishing and Practicum in Teaching.

Students may enter with either a bachelor's degree or a master's degree; the catalog expects students to complete the program in four to five years, and those entering with a master's in three to five years. The program is full time and admits for the fall term only, with a December 1 deadline, and applicants submit a personal statement, transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a writing sample and a resume, with the GRE optional. The school lists possible full-year funding packages, summer research opportunities, and experiential and dissertation completion fellowships among its doctoral benefits.

The PhD requires a minimum of 54 graduate semester credit hours on the catalog's path for students with a master's degree; students without a master's degree follow Path two, 81 credit hours that begin with 33 credit hours of prerequisite courses. Foundation courses include Proseminar in Criminal Justice and Criminology, Criminological Theory, Advanced Criminological Theory, Criminal Justice Policies and Practices, Police and Society, Criminal Justice Program Evaluation, Advanced Criminal Justice Leadership, Crime and Punishment and Special Topics; research courses cover advanced research design, quantitative and qualitative research and a pre-proposal and literature review; and dissertation courses carry 12 credit hours. Courses run in 8-week terms online, and PhD students complete two residencies, one in the first year and the second before the dissertation. The Doctor of Criminal Justice requires 44 graduate semester credit hours and ends in an applied doctoral project after one doctoral residency.

The catalog requires PhD applicants to hold a graduate degree, and applicants with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice or a related social science field and a minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA may enter as bachelor's entry applicants; the catalog puts the master's entry program at approximately 40 months and the baccalaureate entry program at approximately 58 months. The Doctor of Criminal Justice requires a graduate degree, and the catalog says it can be completed in as little as 2.5 years. Each program page says up to 18 transfer credits may apply.

The degree requires 36 credit hours of coursework: 12 credits of research design and methodology, 12 credits in a primary field and 12 credits in a secondary field, followed by dissertation credit. The first field can be Justice, Law and Society, or Terrorism and Political Violence; the second field can be one of those not used first, Political Methodology or Public Policy in the School of Public Affairs, or another field the department approves. Students advance to candidacy by completing the required courses, passing an oral qualifier and two written comprehensive exams (one in each field) and defending a dissertation proposal, and they earn the degree by passing a final oral defense of the dissertation.

The program is for students who already have a related master's degree, and AU admits PhD applicants for full-time study in the fall semester only. Every newly admitted doctoral student must be funded by the School of Public Affairs or an external sponsoring organization; students selected for AU funding receive a fellowship with full funding for four years of study and work 20 hours a week with a faculty member.